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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26673856">And They Were Soulmates</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepiestShenanigans/pseuds/SleepiestShenanigans'>SleepiestShenanigans</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Hat in Time (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>First Fic and Bad at Tags lol, M/M, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Slight Angst?, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, alcohol use, discotrain, probably out of character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:08:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,643</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26673856</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepiestShenanigans/pseuds/SleepiestShenanigans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After two of the actors at Dead Bird Studios find out they're soulmates, DJ Grooves decides to let everyone go home early to celebrate.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>The Conductor/DJ Grooves (A Hat in Time)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>And They Were Soulmates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I haven't seen any Discotrain soulmate AUs anywhere, so I thought I'd just make my own lol</p>
<p>Btw, this soulmate AU is the one where soulmates leave marks on each other the first time they touch. Also, when a soulmate touches the other's mark, it glows.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Congratulations, darlings!” DJ Grooves says with a nod and a forced smile, shaking the hands of the lucky lovebirds. “I’m so happy for you two!” </p>
<p>“Thank you, sir!” One of the two, and owl, chirps up with a warm smile. </p>
<p>“It really means a lot, boss.” The other one says, holding the hand of their newly found soulmate.</p>
<p>“You all are welcome to leave a little early tonight, it’s quite a special night after all!” The penguin says, putting as much positivity into his voice as he could. “As a little treat for such a happy occasion!” Grooves’ expression finally falters as he walks away, hearing the crowd behind him chirp with joy. He pauses before the break room door and looks back. Plastering another smile onto his face, he calls out, “Have a good one, darlings!”</p>
<p>With a swing of the door, the penguin was gone entirely from their sight. On the other side, DJ Grooves shuts the door with a heavy sigh. His usually cheery demeanor deteriorates as leans up against the door and slides down it, his shoulders falling with the rest of him. He takes off his star-shaped sunglasses and rubs between his eyes.</p>
<p>“Lettin’ ‘em go an hour early today, Grooves? That ain’t like ye.” </p>
<p>The penguin’s head jolts up at the sound of another voice. </p>
<p>“Oh, Conductor darling,” He clears his throat, standing up quickly. “I, um, didn’t see you there.”</p>
<p>“Obviously,” His rival snickers, causing Grooves to roll his eyes. The Conductor’s smirk turned somber as he looks back down at the glass he was holding. “So, ye heard about that owl and penguin too, Ah take it?”</p>
<p>Grooves forces out a chuckle. “What gave it away?”</p>
<p>The Conductor stifles a laugh as well, pulling out a chair next to him and putting an empty glass on a coaster next to it. “Drink?”</p>
<p>DJ Grooves sighs. “Isn’t it a little early to be drinking, darling?”</p>
<p>“Isn’t it a little early to be lettin’ tae crews go home?”</p>
<p>After a slight pause, the penguin glances back at the door with a hint of sorrow before turning back to the Conductor. “...I suppose one wouldn’t hurt,” He shrugs, sitting down. The Conductor smiles, already pouring him a drink. </p>
<p>	“Tae bein’ alone together,” The Conductor toasts, holding his glass up, with a smile. </p>
<p>	He wasn’t entirely sure why, but something about the way his rival said together caused a small, but honest smile to grow on Grooves’ face as well. He clinks the Conductor’s glass. </p>
<p>	“To being alone together.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	One drink quickly turned in two, which eventually turned into an amount DJ Grooves was perhaps a little too tipsy to keep track of it.  He wasn’t sure what he and the Conductor were talking about, but there was something in the back on the penguin’s mind that kept nagging at him. </p>
<p>	“Hey, Connie?” He asks, taking another sip of his(?) drink. “Would you mind if I asked you something personal, darling?”</p>
<p>	“Sure, I do nae care at this point,” The Conductor picks up the bottle of whiskey, taking a swig with a shrug. </p>
<p>	“What’s your deal with soulmates?”</p>
<p>	“Huh?” What do ye mean?”</p>
<p>	“I don’t know, darling. It just seems like whenever someone brings it up, you try to get off the subject as soon as possible,” Grooves pauses for a moment after taking another sip. “And well, aren’t they the reason you’re drinking right now?”</p>
<p>	The Conductor puts down his bottle with a sigh. “Ah didnae get me soul mark fer a very long time, it took so long in fact, Ah believed Ah’d never get one. Ah ended up falling in love with someone- ye remember me ex-wife, don’t cha?- and, of course, we’d find ourselves wed a few years later. And eventually, we ended up havin’ ourselves a beautiful little daughter. We were happy, y’know?”</p>
<p>	“Uh-huh.” The penguin nods, listening carefully. </p>
<p>	“Well, we were until one day,” He looks up to the ceiling, his voice growing quiet. “On one fateful day, she met someone, and they left a soul mark onto each other. They were soulmates.” He says with a sad smile. “So, what did she do? She left me for that pecking schmuck and never looked back. And Ah know, Ah get it, they’re soulmates and all, but she also left her own daughter.”</p>
<p>	“I’m so sorry that happened…” He says to the Conductor, sympathetically pulling him into a side hug. </p>
<p>	“Heh, Ah wouldn’t worry about it though, that was quite a while ago,” He smiles softly. “Plus, she’s the one who’s missing out. Our, or rather, my daughter is the best around.” They both chuckle lightheartedly, pulling each other a little close. “What about ye? What about soulmates makes ye drink?” </p>
<p>	“Oh, me, darling?” Surprised, Grooves spins his head round to his ‘rival’. Something about his tone of voice felt a little off the penguin, but he continued anyway. “Well, it’s uh, sorta a funny story, I have a soul mark,” He takes off his coat and reveals a mark on his shoulder just out of his eyesight. “It’s just… It’s just in such a place, and I don’t know who put it there or even when!” He laughs to himself sadly. He glances over to the Conductor, who had started to lean into his side, hiding a small smile. </p>
<p>	“Do ye think ye’ll find ‘em one day?” He asks, Grooves unable to see his expression anymore. </p>
<p>	“I hope so,” He whispers back.</p>
<p>	Grooves’ mind begins to wander back to the Conductor’s story, about his ex and his daughter, and his soul mark. </p>
<p>	...Wait a second.</p>
<p>	“Hey Connie darling, what did you say earlier before you told me about your ex?”</p>
<p>	“What? Ah dunno, Ah think we were talkin’ about movies or something?”</p>
<p>	“No, no, right before you started talking about your ex. About your soul mark? How you didn’t have one for a really long time?”</p>
<p>	“Right, right... What about it?”</p>
<p>	“Did you mean that you do have one now?”</p>
<p>	His ears perked up, and he turns to face Grooves for a moment, almost speechless. “Ah… uh...” He scratches the back of his head, averting his gaze quickly. <br/>	Grooves’ eyes light up, and he can’t help but smile. “Oh my cod, you do!” He excitedly shifts his position to be sitting in front of the blushing mess that is now the Conductor. “Where’s your mark?”</p>
<p>	“Eheheh…” The Conductor chuckles nervously. “Ah suppose there’s no harm in telling him a little about it…” He mumbles to himself. He rolls up his left sleeve to reveal a mark that reached around the wrist of his left arm.</p>
<p>“Wow! Do you know who it is?” He asks, his eyes sparkling. </p>
<p>“Ah do know who it is.” He says, turning back to the drunkenly excited penguin with a slight blush. </p>
<p>	“Really? Who is it? Are you two in love?” </p>
<p>	The bird hums to himself, thinking of an appropriate response. “He, uh, doesn’t know we’re soulmates.”</p>
<p>	“What!? You never told him, darling? Why on Earth would you not tell your soulmate that you’re, well, soulmates?”</p>
<p>	The Conductor sighs lightly, before answering him. “Well… Ah just wanted to know that me soulmate loves me fer who Ah am, not because of some mark on me arm from where he touched me once.”</p>
<p>	Grooves hesitates before looking away. “Do you love him?”</p>
<p>	The Conductor turns to him and pauses. “Aye. Very much so.”</p>
<p>	The two sit in silence for a long moment. </p>
<p>	“Who is it?”</p>
<p>	The Conductor stifles a laugh. “It’s sorta funny. Yer tae one person Ah can’t tell.”</p>
<p>	The penguin finally turns back to him. “What do you mean by that, darling?”</p>
<p>	“Want another drink?” He asks, holding up the almost empty bottle of whiskey. </p>
<p>	“Conductor, what do you mean I’m the ‘one person you can’t tell’?”</p>
<p>	“Is that a no?” He asks innocently, tilting his head. </p>
<p>	“Don’t avoid the question.”</p>
<p>	“It wouldn’t matter what I’d say anyway, Grooves! We’re both too drunk to be able to remember any of this anyway.” He says, his voice sounding drained.  <br/>They turn away from each other, a deafening silence falling upon them. </p>
<p>Grooves was the first one to break the silence. “A drink would be great, thanks, darling.”</p>
<p>The Conductor pours the rest of the bottle into Grooves glass, before discarding it onto the floor next to them. The penguin chugs the drink in one swig, before laying his head sideways onto Conductor’s lap. He feels his rival’s feathered claws stroke his cheek gently as he closed his eyes. </p>
<p>The Conductor hears the bird in his lap let out a long sigh before the Conductor finds himself jolting up as if he had dozed off.</p>
<p>He glances up at the clock, seeing that it had passed about an hour since he’d last checked it. Next, he turns to DJ Grooves who, the Conductor only just realized, was snoring lightly. He couldn’t help himself but smile a little, beginning to gently stroke his cheek again. </p>
<p>He also couldn’t help noticing the little mark on his rival’s shoulder. His smile turns sad as he feels a little guilty, after all, he knows who gave it to him.  He reaches out towards it, hesitating just before touching it. </p>
<p>And a few moments, he finally does. </p>
<p>He runs his fingers over the soul mark, expectantly watching over it as it begins to lightly glow. </p>
<p>“Heh,” he chuckles to himself sadly. “One day, Luv. One day…” He leans down and gives his ‘rival’ a soft kiss on the soul mark he gave him years ago, causing it to shine a little brighter.</p>
<p>He wraps the penguin up in his coat before he snuggles into the crook of his neck, wrapping his arms around him. </p>
<p>And before he knows it, he finds himself waking up to the buzz of another regular day at Dead Bird Studios.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you guys liked it! I have a sequel in the works too, so if you did like this, stay tuned for that! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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